An agricultural harvester known as a “combine” is historically termed such because it combines multiple harvesting functions with a single harvesting unit, such as picking, threshing, separating and cleaning. A combine includes a header, which removes the crop from a field, and a feeder housing which transports the crop matter into a threshing rotor. The threshing rotor rotates within a perforated housing, which may be in the form of adjustable concaves and performs a threshing operation on the crop to remove the grain. Once the grain is threshed, it falls through perforations in the concaves onto a grain pan. From the grain pan, the grain is cleaned using a cleaning system, and is then transported to a grain tank onboard the combine. A cleaning fan blows air through the sieves to discharge leaves, straw, chaff and other debris toward the rear of the combine.
A specialized corn head is ordinarily coupled to the combine used for the harvesting of corn. The corn head is equipped with row units each having snap rolls that strip the stalk and leaf away from the ear, so that only the ear (and husk) enter the throat of the combine. The row units are generally separated by snouts that serve to direct the corn to the row units. Each row unit generally separates the ears of corn from most of the material other than grain (MOG) and conveys the ears of corn and some MOG toward the rear of the header, where it is conveyed laterally inward toward a feeder housing using a double pitch cross auger. The ears of corn and associated MOG are then transported into the combine to undergo the threshing, separating and cleaning steps.
The row units of the prior art harvesters are not modular in nature, and as a result their construct does not allow for the ease of separation of the main frame, the toolbar mounts and the gearbox. The resulting prior art harvesters, as a result of their configuration, have a minimum row separation of 20 inches.
What is needed in the art is a harvester that has modularized row units for ease of maintenance and assembly, and for narrow row widths.